Vehicle mounted container for handling pallets



May 14, 1957 H. L oPEs i 2,792,141

VEHICLE MOUNTED CONTAINER FOR HANDLING PALLETS Filed June 3, 1955 2Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. ,uU/wager@ 5A/10J apes ATTO/@M5545 VEHICLEMOUNTED CONTAINER FOR HANDLING PALLETS Filed June 3, 1955 H. L. LOPESMay 14, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

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VEHICLE MOUNTED CONTAINER FOR HANDLING PALLETS Humberto Lemos Lopes,Bahia, Brazil Application June 3, 1955, Serial No. 513,058

4 Claims. (Cl. 214-621) This invention relates to a containerparticularly designed for the handling of pallets, whether loaded ornot, the container constituting the present invention beinginterchangeable with other containers used for different `types ofgoods, upon a transporting and hoist device such as that shown, forexample, in U. S. Patent No. 2,305,148, issued December 15, 1942, toGeorge R. Dempster.

The transporting and lifting device of the mentioned patent is adaptedfor attachment, to a boom assembly thereof, of any one of a number ofinterchangeable load support containers, and the main object of thepresent invention is to provide an additional container attachable tosaid boom assembly, which container will be specially formed for thehandling of pallets.

Heretofore, on a device such as described hereinbefore, the handling ofpalletized units has involved certain diiculties, due to the fact thatthe containers so far used have not been so formed as to permit suchunits to be handled bodily without disturbance of the articles stackedupon the pallets thereof. As a result, it has been necessary in manyinstances to remove the stacked articles from the pallets, after whichsaid articles, after being transported in the provided container totheir new location, must be restacked upon other pallets. Obviously,this involves considerable cost, and even where cost is not a factor,the excessive amount of time involved in the handling of the materialshas seriously militated against making the most efficient use possibleof the lifting and transporting systemV of the designated patent, so faras units of the type described are concerned.

Accordingly, the container formed in accordance with the presentinvention, summarized briefly, comprises an open front, open-toppedreceptacle, rollably supported a short distance above the ground oriioor surface, and equipped with a plurality of tines extending in aplane slightly above the lowermost portions of the supporting rollers ofthe co-ntainer, thus to locate the tines a minimum distance above thesupporting surface, so that with the container attached to the boomassembly of a truck or similar vehicle, the container can be shiftedinto a pallet-embracing position with the tines extending under thepallet, after which elevation of the boom assembly causes the container,and the loaded pallet, to be hoisted bodily for transportation to a newlocation, without disturbance of the article stacked upon the pallet.Similarly, at the new location, on lowering of the boom assembly, thecontainer is again brought into rollable engagement with the supportingsurface, with the pallet being now supported, still Without disturbanceof the stacked load, directly upon the supporting surface free yof thetines, whereby to permit the container to shift out of a palletembracingposition responsive to forward movement of the associated vehicle.

More specific objects of the invention are to provide a container asdescribed which will be so formed as to protectively wall in the palletat three sides thereof, to prevent the pallet from falling off thevehicle during transportation of the pallet to the desired location; toprovide a container` as described which will be simply constructed, soas to be adapted for manufacture at a minimum cost; to provide acontainer which, despite its low cost, will still be rugged, and willhave a minimum of moving parts, thus to insure trouble-free operationover a maximum period of time; to provide a particular mounting of thetine assembly upon the walls of the container, that will effect a highlyeicient distribution of the load when the container is in use; and toprovide a container as described which, when mounted upon a liftingdevice of the type previously described herein, will be shiftable intoand out of a pallet-Supporting position with maximum ease and facility.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claimsappended thereto, and from the annexed.

drawing, in which like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a truck-mounted lifting deviceand of a container formed according to the present invention, thelifting device and container beingl shown in full lines in a loweredposition, and in dotted lines in a raised position.

Figure 2 is an enlarged rear elevational view of the container per se;

Figure 3 is a vertical section through the container on. line 3--3 ofFigure 2; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the container, still further enlarged.

At 1t) there has been generally designated a truck including a chassishaving side bars or frame members 12V supporting a lifting deviceincluding parallel, transversely spaced, identically formed boom arms i4pivotally connected at 16 at their inner ends for swinging movement invertical planes about an axis extending transversely of the vehicleadjacent the cab thereof. Adjacent the outer, free end of the boom arms,there is iixedly mounted upon the vehicle a container support frame 1Sinclined substantially from the Vertical and having, at locations spacedlongitudinally thereof, automatically engaging hooks or catches 20, 22.

The boom arms are raised and lowered through the provision of hydraulicmeans including a cylinder 24 pivot-ahy mounted at 26 upon the truckchassis, and having a hydraulically extensible ram or piston rod 28pivotally connected at 30 to the boom arms intermediate the oppositeends thereof.

Carried by the outer ends of the boom arms are depending chains 31equipped at their lower, free ends with hooks adapted to engage acontainer to be lifted and transported.

The construction so far described is wholly conventional-and does notper se constitute part of the present invention, said construction beingsubstantially shown in the hereinbefore mentioned patent. in use, thedevice is adapted to be backed up to a container, to the opposite sidesof which the chains 31 are connected, after which the piston 2S isextended to raise the boom arms to the dotted line positions shown. Thiscauses the lifted con tainer to slide upwardly along the inclined framet8, the container having a yoke disposed to engage automatically with aselected catch20 or 22, whereby to permit the containerto be. detachedfrom the boom assembly white held in an elevated position, fortransportation to a selected location.

A plurality of interchangeable containers are used with the liftingdevice illustrated and described herein, and the present inventioncomprises a container generally designated 32 which can beinterchangeably used with the other containers already known.

i My container 32 is formed open at its front and top, and includes sidewalls 34 disposed in vertical planes and Patented May 1,4, 1957Lintegral along their hack edges with a back wall 36. Integrally orotherwise rigidly connected to the lower edges of the side walls 34, andextending from front to rear of the container, are outwardly projecting,relatively narrow flanges 3S, integral at their opposite ends with ears40 projecting outwardly from the container side walls an even greaterdistance. The ears 46 having casters or swiveled rollers 42 connected tothe undersides thereof, thus providing a four point, swiveled, rollablesupport for the container when it is lowered into engagement with asupporting surface S.

A reinforcing back plate 44 extends from side to side of the back wall36, with its upper edge terminating a short distance above the top edgeof wall 36. A yoke of inverted U-shape, designated at 46, has the lowerends of its legs welded at 48, 50, to the back wall 36 and backing plate44 respectively, and the back Wall is also welded as necessary at anyother locations to the back wall 36 to insure a strong, permanent, fixedconnection thereto.

Integral with and projecting forwardly from backing plate 44, in contactwith the outer surfaces of side walls 34, are triangular sidereinforcing plates 52, and projecting outwardly from the apex portionsof plates 52, are headed lugs 54 disposed substantially centrally of theside walls 34. Integral with the bottom edge of backing plate 44, andspaced uniform distances apart transversely of the container, areelongated tines 56 progressively reduced in thickness in the directionof their free ends as shown in Figure 3, so as to be substantiallyknifeedged at said free ends for insuring placement of the tines under apallet T to be lifted. Tines 56 have their bottom surfaces extending ina horizontal plane, said plane being spaced closely above the lowermostportions of the rollers 42, so as to be disposed fully out of contact,but a minimum distance above, the supporting surface S on which therollers are supported. The tines provide a bottom on the container, andat their inner ends, are formed with upwardly projecting, shortextensions that constitute the parts of the tines rigid with the backingplate 44.

In use, the chains 31 are hooked to the lugs 54, and with the containerrollably supported upon support surface S, the vehicle is backed up to apallet P having a stack of articles A, or other material to betransported, extending upwardly therefrom. The pallet, as is usual, hasits platform portion spaced above the supporting surface S, andaccordingly, when the vehicle is backed up, the container will roll uponthe supporting surface, being pushed thereover by the truck. With thecontainer properly aligned with the pallet, the container is shifted tothe right in Figure l until the pallet is confined to its maximum extenttherein. The side walls 34 and'back wall 36 will provide abutments forthe sides and back of the stack of material, while the tines 56 willmove under the platform portion of the pallet.

The hydraulic mechanism is now operated to shift the boom arms 14upwardly to the dotted line position of Figure l, and the container,carrying the loaded pallet, will be carried upwardly sliding along theframe 18 until yoke 46 is automatically engaged in catch 20 or, perhaps,in catch 22, whichever is desired according to the needs of theparticular situation. In this position of the container, it is tiltedbackwardly, so that there is no danger of the stack of articlesaccidentally falling outwardly through the open front of the container.

The boom arms are now detached from the container, aud the containerwith the loaded pallet can be transported to a new location, at whichthe pallet is to be unloaded. The operation is now reversed, to lowerthe container to the supporting surface, and the truck, when drivenforwardly, will pull the container out of its palletconfining position,all without disturbing the stack of articles carried by the pallet.

It will be seen that the construction is one which is particularlyadapted to be used in association with a lifting and transportingmechanism such as that illustrated, and it will further be noted thatthere will be a saving in time, 'man hours, and other factorsimportantly affecting the operation, due to the fact that it is notnecessary to unload the pallet prior to transporting the same, nor is itnecessary to reload the pallet after the articles have been transportedto the desired location.

Of course, at the final location at which the pallet is to be unloaded,empty pallets can be collected, and stacked one upon the other, afterwhich the empty pallets can be lifted and transported by the containerin the same manner as a single loaded pallet.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confinedto the specific use or uses thereof described above, sinee it may beutilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the inventionto be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated anddescribed, since such construction is only intended to be illustrativeof the principles, it being considered that the invention comprehendsany minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scopeof the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination with a hoisting and transporting device includingdepending flexible elements at opposite sides thereof, of a containerfor lifting and transporting pallets comprising a receptacle includingside walls, a back wall, and a bottom, said receptacle being open at itstop and front to permit movement of the receptacle along a supportingsurface into a position in which it will receive and support a palletdisposed upon said surface; a horizontally disposed flange projectingoutwardly from each of said side walls adjacent the lower end thereof, ahorizontally disposed ear projecting outwardly from each end of eachtiange, a roller depending from each ear for rollably supporting thereceptacle upon said supporting surface during movement of thereceptacle into said position, the receptacle bottom during the rollablemovement of the receptacle being disposed a short distance above thesupporting surface for engagement under the pallet; and means projectingoutwardly from the respective side walls of the receptacle forengagement by said flexible elements, for lifting of the container andsupported pallet by said device.

2. Thecombination with a hoisting and transporting device includingdepending ilexible elements at opposite sides thereof, of a containerfor lifting and transporting pallets comprising a receptacle including apair of side walls, a back wall, and a plurality of tines projectingforwardly from the back Wall and defining a bottom on the receptacle,said tines being adapted for engagement under a pallet on movement ofthe receptacle along a supporting surface on which the pallet isdisposed with the side walls and back walls embracing the pallet; ahorizontally disposed flange .projecting outwardly from each'of saidside walls adjacent the lower end thereof, a horizontally disposed earprojecting outwardly from each end of each ange, a roller depending fromeach ear for rollably supporting the receptacle upon said supportingsurface, said tines extending in a common, substantially horizontalplane spaced a short distance above the lowermost portions of therollers; and outwardly projecting, headed lugs on the side wallsengageable by said flexible elements for lifting of the container andsupported pallet by said device.

3. The combination with a hoisting and transporting devicepincludingdepending flexible elements at opposite sides thereof, the container forlifting and transporting pallets comprising a receptacle including aback wall, side walls projecting forwardly from the back wall, aplurality of tines projecting in a substantially horizontal plateforwardly from the back wall at the lower ends thereof to define abottom on the receptacle, said receptacle being open at its front andtop, a reinforcing backing plate overlying the back wall and xedlysecured to the back wall, and reinforcing side plates projectingforwardly from opposite ends of the backing plate along the side walls;rollers carried by the side walls at the lower ends thereof for rollablysupporting the receptacle upon a supporting surface, the plane of saidtines being disposed slightly above the lowermost portions of therollers for disposition of the tines out of contact with said supportingsurface; and outwardly projecting, headed lugs carried by thereinforcing side plates, for engagement with the elements for lifting ofthe container and supported pallet by said device.

4. The combination with a hoisting and transporting device includingdepending eXible elements at opposite sides thereof, a rigid frame, andcatch means on said rigid frame, of a container for lifting andtransporting pallets comprising a receptacle having an open front and anopen top, said receptacle including side Walls in vertical planes and aback wall rigidly connected to the side walls, and further includingtines projecting approximately horizontally forwardly from the lower endof the back wall between the side walls for engagement under a pallet tobe lifting when the receptacle is shifted along a supporting surface toa pallet-embracing position; casters carried by the receptacle at thelower end thereof for supporting the'receptacle for rolling movementalong a supporting surface to said position, said tines being disposedin a common plane slightly above the lowermost portions of the castersfor disposition of the tines out of contact with said supportingsurface; yoke means projecting upwardly from the back wall andengageable by said catch means on lifting of the receptacle and thesupported pallet by said device; and means projecting outwardly from therespective side Walls substantially centrally thereof engageable by theflexible elements for connecting the container to the device preliminaryto lifting of the container by the device.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS555,473 Carpenter Feb. 25, 1896 2,305,148 Dempster Dec. 15, 19422,387,500 Dempster Oct. 23, 1945 2,441,750 Britton May 18, 19482,606,675 Jones Aug. 12, 1952 2,689,054 Martin Sept. 14, 1954 2,702,142Jones Feb. 15, 1955 2,707,573 Balwics May 3, 1955

